Growing up in Rio de Janerio, Marco Lima’s passion for cooking stems from his roots. Every dish is fresh and creative with a touch of Brazilian flair. After six years of restaurant work in his home country, as well as being the face of a daily cooking segment on TV, Marco decided to take to the seas. Armed with a master’s degree in gastronomy and a passion for travelling, he began working on superyachts four years ago and is now the chef on board 43.6 metre Hana.
We are always in different places and I love being able to use local products and talk to local suppliers about the best produce. This means I am always able to serve guests and the owner the best possible products. I also love the fact I have a large window in my galley, which is a source of inspiration every day. I'm very creative, this helps a lot in the creation of my menus.
I've never had many strange requests; just options or complements for the different dishes, such as mayonnaise in Bolognese pasta; ketchup on the pizza. It's a question of personal taste!
My culinary base is Mediterranean, but of course I keep putting my "Brazilian style" in my dishes. It's my country; I have to represent it too! I really like the mix from simple to sophisticated. In this industry, 100% of the guests want to be surprised with taste and, of course, sophistication. I like to add a little of what we have in Brazil, but still keeping true to the original dish.
My favourite market is the L'Olivar market in Mallorca, because besides being quite big, everything is very fresh and of great quality. Obviously some products are seasonal, but you can usually find just about everything a chef needs. In Napoli, the central market is also very good, the mozzarella is incredible; the best I have ever eaten!
A memorable moment: I was on a yacht where the owners were celebrating 40 years of marriage in the Caribbean. We organised a big party and bought in blue lobster that are very expensive. It was big celebration and it would have to be done in style… but on the day of the party, Madame decided to change everything and asked to serve pizza to the guests! I got mad and served the blue lobsters to the crew!
My ideal guest is someone with an open mind for new flavours and new textures. We are in the 21st century, we can no longer present food as in we have done in the past. In saying that I do not like exaggerations; it must be simple and clean, do not make a mess of fusion cuisine!
Hana is managed for charter by Camper & Nicholsons with a weekly rate starting from €135,000.